Because We're Friends
by HafuHafu
Summary: Naruto and Sasuke were always known to be rivals. No matter what it was, they fought about it. But when even Naruto hits his low points, Sasuke might be the only one who can help him through it. Pre-Shippuden.


**(A/N: Sorry I just really love Naruto and Sasuke fluff.)**

It was late in the evening, yet one street in Konoha was loud with festivities. Genin swarmed the pathway, many clutching a range from small to large gifts in their hands. After all, they couldn't just show up to a birthday party empty-handed. Especially when it was Kazuki's birthday—his parents' wealth was something he flaunted constantly, and he made sure they knew what kind of party they were getting into when he invited the entire genin class. Food stalls dedicated for the event lined the road, quickly distributing food and snacks as parents of the children loudly mingled amongst the commotion.

Sasuke walked along the perimeter, boringly eyeing the chaos around him. This kind of party scene was something he didn't care for, but he figured there was nothing better to do that night. A few girls from his class had already spotted him and excitedly called him over to the food stall they were gathered at, but he paid no attention to them, knowing they'd grow tired of vying for his time soon enough. Almost instinctively, he found himself scanning the crowds for any familiar faces. A lot of them he recognized, yet they weren't people he actually spoke to.

"Sasuke!" A voice cut through the noise from behind, the source easily recognizable. Sakura pushed through a throng of parents, waving happily as she jogged over to him. Sasuke sighed, but came to a stop as he let Sakura catch up. She slowed as she came near, her face tinged pink—whether it was from the running or something else he had no idea, and didn't care to know.

"I'm surprised you showed up to a party like this." She said, almost shyly.

Sasuke resumed walking, Sakura immediately keeping pace with him. "I figured I'd check it out." He responded curtly, not noticing the way Sakura blushed and slightly shifted closer to his side.

"Well, since you're here..." She started quietly, tucking a few stray hairs behind her ear. "Maybe we can walk around together and eat?"

At his lack of a response, Sakura wasn't sure if he simply hadn't heard or was taking his time to answer when he suddenly drew to a stop. She backpedaled, turning towards him curiously.

"I've been wondering something." He said, meeting her eyes.

Sakura flushed, unsure of what his intentions were. "W-what is it?" He couldn't be confessing, could he? In front of all these people?

"Where's Naruto? I'm surprised I haven't seen him doing something obnoxious so far." Sasuke finished, casually scanning the people around him again.

Sakura deflated at his comment, but couldn't help but wonder too. Naruto usually loved showing up to gatherings like this, especially if he could stir up trouble. She turned and scanned the crowd in front, hearing the excited chatters of other genin up ahead. "Maybe he's up there, let's go look."

This time, Sakura led the way as Sasuke silently followed. Even if Naruto was the reason for it, Sakura was glad there was a reason for Sasuke to stick with her. But out of all the faces they passed, she still hadn't spotted the familiar blonde teammate she'd seen so often. Another person, however, might give them the answer.

"Hey, Kazuki!" Sakura called out, catching the birthday boy surrounded by his familiar group of friends. He had already opened some of his numerous presents, showing them off to his entourage proudly. At his name, Kazuki perked up and waved at Sakura as she and Sasuke made their way over.

"Sakura! Here to see the awesome gifts I got, too?" He asked pridefully, puffing out his chest. Sakura Haruno was definitely someone he was excited to see at his party. He'd been harboring a small crush on her since school started, but seeing her approach him made his affection for her grow stronger. After all, who wouldn't like a rich guy like him?

Sakura shook her head, dismissively waving away the spotless kunai set he held up. "Have you seen Naruto around?"

At the mention of his name, Kazuki smirked, shaking his head. "Ah, that annoying guy? Don't worry, I took care of him. He won't be ruining my party tonight!"

Sasuke's eyes curiously flicked over at Kazuki, waiting for an explanation. Sakura was just as confused, crossing her arms as she stared at the boy closely. "What does that mean?"

"Like I said, you don't have to worry about it. It's a good thing he didn't show up, he would've only been a bother." Kazuki leaned in, placing the side of his hand near his mouth as if revealing a large secret. "My mom told me people shouldn't associate with him anyway. She said he's cursed."

"Cursed?" Sakura repeated hesitantly. She had no idea what he was talking about at all.

Kazuki shrugged, straightening back up. "No one here likes him anyways. Heck, he doesn't even have parents to like him!"

Sakura frowned. "Hey, Kazuki, that's—"

"It's true though." Kazuki continued loudly, speaking more towards his other friends now. "I always hear my parents warn me about that kid. I bet it's not just my mom and dad either. Even in the future, Naruto's just gonna be a bother with no frien—"

"Shut up." Sasuke's voice had gone dead cold, his glare strong enough to stun Kazuki into silence. Before Kazuki could say anything back, Sasuke had already turned around and disappeared back into the crowd, leaving the remaining members speechless.

"What's his problem?" Kazuki huffed, turning his attention back towards his gifts as his friends crowded around eagerly once more. Sakura instinctively went to follow Sasuke, managing to find him and catch up.

"Sasuke? What's wrong?" She asked worriedly, catching the irritated expression on his face.

"I have somewhere to go, you stay here and enjoy the party." Sasuke said shortly before leaping for the rooftops nearby. Flustered at his sudden departure, Sakura could only stand and watch as he left, unsure of what had just happened.

Before he knew it, Sasuke found himself in front of Naruto's house. He'd checked Ichiraku Ramen beforehand, but the owner hadn't seen him all day. For a moment, he stood uncertainly in front of the door. Was he even home? Why did he even come here? After pondering a few seconds longer, Sasuke knocked clearly three times, sticking his hands back in his pocket as he waited.

From inside, he could hear the pattering of footsteps before the door was pulled open, Naruto's surprised eyes meeting his. He was already in his pajamas, clearly having no intention of going back outside for the night.

"Sasuke?" He managed, bewildered. "What are you doing here?"

"...Can I come in?" Sasuke asked, ignoring his question.

Naruto was too surprised to be suspicious, nodding and pushing the door open further for Sasuke to walk in. It was a small living space, and Sasuke disdainfully eyed the numerous emptied ramen cups littering the dining table and the dirtied clothes strewn across the floor. Cleaning was definitely not something Naruto was familiar with.

"Did you hear about Kazuki's party today?" Sasuke finally questioned as Naruto shut the door and made his way into the room as well.

Had he not been expecting it, Sasuke wouldn't have caught the slight hesitation on Naruto's expression before he forced a grin that was almost too big. "Of course I heard about it! I didn't really feel like going though, sounded pretty lame." Naruto stretched his arms, heading towards the kitchen portion of the room. "Hold on, I was gonna make some ramen. I'm starving!"

Sasuke watched Naruto duck under the counter, rustling through the cabinets for what he assumed was an unopened bowl of instant noodles. He sidestepped a few stray shirts on the ground, letting his eyes graze over the unmade bed and disorganized dresser before glancing at the dining table again. It seemed almost coincidental that he caught the small slip of paper that was tucked underneath a few stacked bowls of eaten ramen. Before he could stop himself, Sasuke reached out and carefully removed the paper. It had been folded over, unraveling into a slightly larger sheet with messy handwriting scrawled over it.

 _Naruto. You better not show up to my party tomorrow night, unless you want everyone to hate you, especially me! Don't even think about ruining it by coming or else you're going to regret it forever!_

 _\- Kazuki_

"Hey Sasuke, I forgot to ask if you wanted one." Naruto piped up from underneath counter. At the lack of response, he stood up, wondering if the Uchiha had already hightailed it out of there.

Catching the sheet of paper in Sasuke's hand, the smile slid off Naruto's face as walked over and silently took the note away, folding it and placing it back on the table. Sasuke didn't respond, searching Naruto's face for any reaction.

There was a short pause before Naruto cleared up his expression, reaching a hand behind his head as he laughed awkwardly. "I guess that Kazuki guy doesn't really like me, huh?" At that point, Sasuke could easily read the hurt on the boy's face, even if he was trying to hide it.

"Why are you bothered by this? Kazuki's just a dumb kid. You could've just gone." Sasuke pointed out bluntly, eyeing the now abandoned piece of paper with a frown.

"I'm not bothered!" Naruto started immediately before catching himself. He walked over to the bed, sitting heavily on the side of it with a sigh. "I'm sick of everyone looking at me like that. Like I'm some kind of monster." A weak grin touched his face, a small laugh escaping him. "Heh, who am I kidding..."

Sasuke leaned against the edge of the table. "You're not a monster."

"You don't understand." Naruto mumbled, ducking his head.

"Well then, care to explain?" Sasuke countered, getting more and more troubled by Naruto's demeanor. He'd never seen him this down before.

A heavy silence fell over the room. "...Not really." Naruto finally said.

While Sasuke was trying to get his words together, a thought seemed to have struck Naruto as he suddenly looked up, curiosity replacing the darkened expression he had. "Why are you here anyways? I'm sure you of all people were invited to the party."

"I didn't see you there... so I was wondering why you didn't show up. Kazuki was saying some things, so I just came to check." Sasuke said carefully. Quite frankly, he still wasn't sure why he immediately left for Naruto's house after hearing Kazuki.

Naruto frowned, his face scrunching up in displeasure. This was a face Sasuke had seen often, be it during non-ramen meals or boring training sessions. "I don't want your pity talks, if that's what you're here for." His eyes took on a more suspicious gleam as he pointed an accusing finger. "You came here to make fun of me, didn't you? To pick a fight? Damn you!"

"That's not why I'm here, dumbass." Sasuke shot back exasperatingly.

Naruto blinked, relaxing as his hand fell back against his side. "Oh. Well you should probably get back before the party ends. I'm fine." He caught the doubtful expression on Sasuke's face. "I'm fine, I'm telling you!"

He was lying. Sasuke already knew, watching Naruto energetically ramble about his well-being. Everything about his actions seemed rehearsed. He was acting like he was alright, but clearly he wasn't.

"Anyways," Naruto finished, "get back to the party." Another forced grin. "Don't worry about me. Being alone isn't something I'm new to."

Sasuke was silent for a few seconds before making his way in front of Naruto, who'd let his eyes wander back towards the ground. Pulling a hand out of his pocket, he made a fist before lightly tapping it against Naruto's forehead, where his forehead protector would usually be. Naruto stiffened at the sudden contact, glancing up at Sasuke in confusion.

"Idiot, you're not alone. You have Team 7, don't you?" Sasuke said, lowering his fist from Naruto's forehead. "At the least, you have us as friends."

Naruto slowly let the words register, his eyes wide with surprise. "Sasuke, you consider me a friend?" He sputtered, baffled.

The reality of Sasuke's words finally sunk in, and he quickly broke eye contact, his face flushing as he glanced towards the side. "Well we're teammates. So I guess we're technically friends."

Sasuke refused to look down and see Naruto's reaction. He couldn't believe he openly acknowledged Naruto as a friend. They were rivals! They were supposed to hate each other! Geez, it was embarrassing.

Suddenly, a fist bumped against Sasuke's arm, and he reflexively glanced down. Naruto's expression had brightened as he took his fist off of Sasuke's arm. This time, the grin was genuine and warm, a real smile. "Thanks, Sasuke."

Sasuke managed a small grin back, turning around and pulling up the chair that was tucked underneath the table behind him and sitting down, eyes closing as he let out a sigh. "You should go cook that ramen." He paused for a second, before opening one eye to peer at Naruto. "...And make me one while you're at it."

Naruto laughed, bolting up from the bed and jogging for the kitchen. "You got it!"


End file.
